Br@ssknux
Pretty much a regular
Well, the best time of the year is upon us. Best of luck to everyone who, like me, enjoys commiserating here in B.A.R & Co's little corner of the degenerate universe.
I'm hoping to post regularly this year, but the travel schedule is pretty relentless. As always, if I can end up a little better than a coin flip, I'll be happy.
Not much to get too excited about this week, which is why I wouldn't even call this a collection of write ups. My intention was to grab Northwestern as the line eventually settled in around 14, but a funny thing happened today. It plummeted for whatever reason all the way down to 10, and is now eeking it's way up. If it gets back up to where I can get 14 at -115 or so, I'll bite, but I can't in good conscience make such a value-less play on the Cats. To sum up my thoughts quickly, Nebraska is still in prove it mode for me. I know a lot of people are on Nebraska, and I totally understand from a fundamental handicapping point of view as to why you would expect the Huskers to have their way with Northwestern. There's much more talent, and they've stockpiled some impressive transfers as well. None of that kind of thing ever seems to matter for the modern day Huskers, however. If there's a team out there with more of a black cloud than the Scott Frost led Huskers, I'd like to see it. Also, I guess we are all supposed to be impressed that Mark Whipple is on the staff now? This is going to erase 4 years of non stop head slapping skullduggery? About the only thing Scott Frost has been competent at since he arrived in Lincoln is having dead eye aim when he's taking a shot at his own foot. In case you're wondering, this isn't some new hotshot OC. It's not Mark Whipple Jr. This is the same 65 year old grandpa who has run mediocre offenses starting with the Arizona Wranglers in 1984(!!) until 2020 at Pitt. The outlier of these past 38 years was last year, when Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison finally gave Whipple some modicum of success. So now he's at Nebraska, and overnight, the Huskers, with all their new pieces are going to pick up right where Pickett and company left off. Maybe they will. They are laying points against a Northwestern team that stunk to high heaven last year, but always bounces back and has had their best seasons when they have experience (and that means ANY kind of experience) back, which they do this year. Ultimately, a major travel game like this tests a coach's mettle. Does anyone trust Frost and co to make sure, despite all the distractions that everyone is on the same page and rowing in the same direction? I don't, but I do trust Pat Fitzgerald, especially if it's in a year he has something to prove. On paper, it looks like Nebraska should easily handle the Cats, but these two teams are mortal opposites "on paper". Unfortunately, at 10.5, I can't make the bet.
I do have one that I've bet, however:
1. @New Mexico State +8.5 v Nevada: I'm guessing everyone has heard where Jay Norvell left this Nevada program shortly after the curtain closed on the Wolf Pack's 2021 season. To coin a phrase, he left them "high and dry" or "in the lurch"...pick your cliche. Norvell left for conference rival Colorado State, and he took just about his entire staff and a handful of players with him. Nevada ended up settling for long term Nevada guy Ken Wilson, but I can't help but think that the choice was somewhat of a desperate one in a shallow pool of candidates. Nevada was gutted by transfers, resulting in almost 70% of their roster being guys who have never suited up for the Wolf Pack. 7 of the current starters on their depth chart were walk-ons less than a year ago. Their season win total has plummeted from 5 to 3.5 in the past couple of weeks, for good reason. You're probably thinking, "That's all well and good, but what is there to like about New Mexico State?" Good question, and my answer is not a lot, but there are some things to like. I'll start with the fact that they hired Jerry Kill, a guy that nobody would accuse of being a novice. He's won everywhere he's been, usually at a higher level than was commonplace before he got there...ditto NMSU. . NMSU is likely to struggle on offense, but they return just about everyone on defense, which could allow them to be competitive on that side of the ball. My guess is that Kill will do everything he can to run it and keep the clock moving, either with one of his pretty deep group of RBs, or the presumed starter at QB, who won the JUCO national title by playing a smart, ball control type of game. I trust Kill to be in this game until the end, and frankly, if someone put a gun to my head and asked for a straight up winner here, I would probably take the Aggies.
Slight lean to Charlotte because they have a 5th year solid QB and a slew of receivers and FAU's DC is the newest version of Brian Van Gorder or Todd Grantham(Todd Orlando). I'm not sold enough on that to play it.
Best of luck, and let me know what you think. Next week should have much more in terms of stated plays.
I'm hoping to post regularly this year, but the travel schedule is pretty relentless. As always, if I can end up a little better than a coin flip, I'll be happy.
Not much to get too excited about this week, which is why I wouldn't even call this a collection of write ups. My intention was to grab Northwestern as the line eventually settled in around 14, but a funny thing happened today. It plummeted for whatever reason all the way down to 10, and is now eeking it's way up. If it gets back up to where I can get 14 at -115 or so, I'll bite, but I can't in good conscience make such a value-less play on the Cats. To sum up my thoughts quickly, Nebraska is still in prove it mode for me. I know a lot of people are on Nebraska, and I totally understand from a fundamental handicapping point of view as to why you would expect the Huskers to have their way with Northwestern. There's much more talent, and they've stockpiled some impressive transfers as well. None of that kind of thing ever seems to matter for the modern day Huskers, however. If there's a team out there with more of a black cloud than the Scott Frost led Huskers, I'd like to see it. Also, I guess we are all supposed to be impressed that Mark Whipple is on the staff now? This is going to erase 4 years of non stop head slapping skullduggery? About the only thing Scott Frost has been competent at since he arrived in Lincoln is having dead eye aim when he's taking a shot at his own foot. In case you're wondering, this isn't some new hotshot OC. It's not Mark Whipple Jr. This is the same 65 year old grandpa who has run mediocre offenses starting with the Arizona Wranglers in 1984(!!) until 2020 at Pitt. The outlier of these past 38 years was last year, when Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison finally gave Whipple some modicum of success. So now he's at Nebraska, and overnight, the Huskers, with all their new pieces are going to pick up right where Pickett and company left off. Maybe they will. They are laying points against a Northwestern team that stunk to high heaven last year, but always bounces back and has had their best seasons when they have experience (and that means ANY kind of experience) back, which they do this year. Ultimately, a major travel game like this tests a coach's mettle. Does anyone trust Frost and co to make sure, despite all the distractions that everyone is on the same page and rowing in the same direction? I don't, but I do trust Pat Fitzgerald, especially if it's in a year he has something to prove. On paper, it looks like Nebraska should easily handle the Cats, but these two teams are mortal opposites "on paper". Unfortunately, at 10.5, I can't make the bet.
I do have one that I've bet, however:
1. @New Mexico State +8.5 v Nevada: I'm guessing everyone has heard where Jay Norvell left this Nevada program shortly after the curtain closed on the Wolf Pack's 2021 season. To coin a phrase, he left them "high and dry" or "in the lurch"...pick your cliche. Norvell left for conference rival Colorado State, and he took just about his entire staff and a handful of players with him. Nevada ended up settling for long term Nevada guy Ken Wilson, but I can't help but think that the choice was somewhat of a desperate one in a shallow pool of candidates. Nevada was gutted by transfers, resulting in almost 70% of their roster being guys who have never suited up for the Wolf Pack. 7 of the current starters on their depth chart were walk-ons less than a year ago. Their season win total has plummeted from 5 to 3.5 in the past couple of weeks, for good reason. You're probably thinking, "That's all well and good, but what is there to like about New Mexico State?" Good question, and my answer is not a lot, but there are some things to like. I'll start with the fact that they hired Jerry Kill, a guy that nobody would accuse of being a novice. He's won everywhere he's been, usually at a higher level than was commonplace before he got there...ditto NMSU. . NMSU is likely to struggle on offense, but they return just about everyone on defense, which could allow them to be competitive on that side of the ball. My guess is that Kill will do everything he can to run it and keep the clock moving, either with one of his pretty deep group of RBs, or the presumed starter at QB, who won the JUCO national title by playing a smart, ball control type of game. I trust Kill to be in this game until the end, and frankly, if someone put a gun to my head and asked for a straight up winner here, I would probably take the Aggies.
Slight lean to Charlotte because they have a 5th year solid QB and a slew of receivers and FAU's DC is the newest version of Brian Van Gorder or Todd Grantham(Todd Orlando). I'm not sold enough on that to play it.
Best of luck, and let me know what you think. Next week should have much more in terms of stated plays.
Last edited:
